From the building of the Egyptian pyramids to the construction of the Twin Towers in New York, mankind has always relied on symbols to tell their story. Whether it be a symbol of immeasurable power like Shi Huang’s Qin Dynasty or bones and stone tools that give a look into man’s growth over a hundred thousand centuries. One thing is for sure; no matter the period in history, man will always find a way to sketch his legacy into the fabric of time. Unknowing to most, great legacies also come at a great cost. For every accomplishment there had to be many failures that came before it. They say there is a thin line between love and hate. So, let’s go on a journey through history and walk that fine line between man’s legacy and the lies they were built on.
The First Emperor of China will be our first look into man’s legacy of lies. Shi Huang maybe responsible for unifying China but at what cost. Starting his reign from 247 till his death in 210BC. He ruled with an iron fist. Although sharing many of the same ideologies as Confucius, Huang was anything but a peaceful man. He left a path of destruction, showing no mercy for anyone who opposed his will. This included the deaths of those close to him. Even ordering the executions of his own siblings. Many archeologist and historians find Shin Huang’s story to be fascinating and inspiring. One man that brought about the end to the 7 warring states. The man that had such a massive tomb built with life size statues known as the Terracotta Army to protect him in the afterlife. What about the wives, servants, and builders who worked on the tomb who was said to had been buried alive with the emperor? Does his legacy of unifying China outweigh the hundreds of men and women who were slaughtered to build said legacy?
Anytime someone mentions religion people tend to get tense. I guess that’s understandable being as though wars were fought not only over religion but also because of it. Religion was supposed to bring about peace and unity to the world. Instead it brought war and separation. The story “Sons of Ham” holds such horror deep in its core. This is a story that was twisted to give justification for slavery. Cursing all of the descendants of Ham’s son Canaan to be enslaved by their own people. Starting in the tenth century BC which carried on throughout the middle ages. The enslavement of the Canaanites transformed from those who bore white skin and blue eyes to those of a darker complexion from different regions. How could something as “holy” as religion be the bases of such a heinous act of injustice and inequality. To condemn an entire bloodline to forever be enslaved doesn’t sound like something God would want us as man to do. Well, when man are the ones responsible for writing these stories what do you expect. How could religion birth so much devastation and inequality to the same people who worshipped and followed it.
The pyramids in Egypt is said to be such an amazing and wonderful sight to bare. I could only imagine what it looked like from the eyes of the builders who slaved all day in the hot sun. They built each of the many pyramids brick by brick. In 2480BC King Khufu would send his loyal subjects out to the local cities to bring back men who would serve him in the building of what would come to be his legacy. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built on the backs of men who were snatched from their families. They were lied to and made to believe that it was an honor to serve the king and do as he had commanded. At the time it was believed that these pyramids brought power and was a symbol for life. More so, it brought upon another form of slavery and of course death. There was said to be at least over 25,000 men working day and night to build King Khufu’s pyramid for his final resting place. Carrying, lifting, pushing and pulling over 2 million lime stone blocks, which totaled about 5 million tons of stone. Men literally slaving to death in that detrimental heat out in the desert. Suffering impoverish living conditions. Only to fulfil a king’s selfish wish of immortality. All we see is the aftermath of what was left behind. In awe of such a monumental structure. Still never fully thinking at to what ends it took to construct it.
All things considered we are no different than we were over hundreds of thousand years ago. We still push the boundaries of humanity and exploit it at every turn. We do this all at the expense of our fellow man. Just to have our name posted on the front of a building. We will bring about the destruction of those we feel are beneath us just so that we can add to our own legacy. Nothing much has changed whether its kings and emperors or congressmen and presidents. The main goal is to leave behind a legacy. To add your name to the history books by any means. Nobody looks out for the little guy. We live in a society full of barbarians who will stop at nothing just to contribute their mark on the world. They show us only the good parts. We only see the finished product. I hope after reading this you will no longer take things at face value. I hope to spark the mind that will in turn spark the next group of minds that will turn this world on its head. Let’s stop fueling these trains of deceit and cover ups. At the end of the day what good is a legacy if it’s built on a pile of lies. So, don’t just stand there. Go grab a shovel and start digging.
